I have a short question. I would really like to become a conference interpreter. My languages are A: Polish, B: Italian & Portuguese, C: English (or maybe B). I just graduated so of course it's all "in the making". I would like to start one of the EMCI (European Master in Conference Interpreting) programs in Lisbon (which is where I live currently) - it's the only EMCI where I can study my language combination, even though it's expensive as hell :/ So my question is - do you guys know, more or less, what is the need for those languages now? I heard that Portuguese is "in" now because of Brasil and the growing economies of African countries - is that true? Is Polish as my A language an advantage or a disadvantage on the job market? How about Italian? I'm trying to get a general idea, so all help will be appreciated.

A lot depends on where you are going to live: Portugal, Poland, Brussel, other place? Concerning the EU, you might want to contact the institutions and ask about your specific combination.

On the Polish market, C languages are mostly of no use in conference interpreting. You would probably either reduce your language combination or turn one or your Cs into a B at some point (realistically speaking, the standards for a B language in Poland are not as high as in Western Europe or in the institutions).

If you want to stick to conference interpreting only, I am afraid Poland might not be an option. I think you would need to supplement your income with translation (but I do not know enough about the specific situation of PL<>PT interpreters in Poland). I doubt that the growing economies of African countries have a significant impact on the demand for Portuguese in Poland (not a lot of business cooperation here) but I might be wrong.

I don't know about Portugal, but I work a lot for agencies and there is a market for FRENCH <> POLISH in France, particularly in the Northern part... off course the weather (and the food) is not as nice as in Lisbon :-)